1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to garments to be worn over equipment such as, for example, protective equipment. In particular, the present invention provides for a garment such as a jersey or pants configured to be worn over protective equipment, such that the range of motion of the arms or legs covered by the protective equipment is not unduly impeded by the garment.
2. Background Art
In contact sports such as hockey, lacrosse, football, or others, a player is required to wear a number of pieces of protective equipment, for example elbow pads. As the player usually wears a garment such as a jersey over the equipment, the garment is required to be substantially large in size in order to effectively contain the protective equipment.
However, enlarged garments, for example jerseys having enlarged sleeves to contain elbow pads, provide more opportunities for an opponent to grab and restrain the player by the loose material, for example the loose material of the enlarged sleeve surrounding parts of the arm not protected by the elbow pad.
On the other hand, a garment that is too tight, especially where surrounding a joint such as an elbow or knee protected by a pad, can impede the motion of the joint through the interaction of the pad and garment, thus being detrimental to the wearer's performance.